The amorphous now

Dealing with ambiguity is one of the most important skills a leader can master. Making decisions when all necessary information is not at hand helps to keep our economies, businesses and even families moving forward. There often isn’t enough time to gather all the pertinent data – it just doesn’t exist, or it’s too expensive. Every day, we make decisions, which will affect our own lives or the lives of those around us. This state is what I call the amorphous now.

How can we best deal with the amorphous now? When the shape or form of our present, let alone our future, is not well defined it can be difficult to know the best way to move ahead.

This issue of LAWPRO Magazine looks at a number of changes that we may face: selling or retiring from practice; technology to help us succeed or cybercrime we need to avoid; rules and regulations that mean we need to change to avoid costly mistakes; and actions we need to take that can help protect us in the future. It’s amazing that we’re not all frozen with indecision.

When I think about insurance and its place in our lives and businesses I am comforted that its role is to assess future risks now so we can follow a safer path for our future. Insurance companies need to set aside resources not knowing exactly what, or how much, will be needed in the future.

We manage ambiguity as a core business function. Actions we take are aimed at making our insureds feel more comfortable with the ambiguity they face each day.

Now is amorphous because we’re in the thick of it but even though we can’t see all the answers, our future is dependent on the actions we take now, even though our vision may be obscured.